Novel Coronavirus pandemic has brought several bad moments but it also taught lessons to humans. It has also compelled humans to find positivism in negativity. Everybody witnessed people coming forward with the help for the poor and needy. There are lakhs of such incidents that India experienced throughout this year. Indians are known for their generosity and they not only extend help in India only or to Indians alone. They do the good act for every citizen. Nagpur’s couple Anupama (Tipnis) Potdar and her husband Abhijeet has been doing fantastic work in Canada. In last one year, this couple fed two lakh needy people.

 

 

 

United Nations too has taken a note of their noble act. The couple came to Ottawa, Canada three and a half years ago with their 8-year-old son Aniket. As Abhijeet had previously lived and worked abroad for thirteen years in Boston, USA, the family was confident enough of staying abroad. Anupama noticed there are people in a developed country like Canada too who can’t manage their two course meal so she started volunteering at a community center. There she met Sylvain-De-Margane, a man after retirement, used to prepare his own meals in a community kitchen for many people who are on low-income. This help was for the physically and mentally handicapped and the elderly. He provided them with enough food for a week. The couple has developed a good chemistry with Sylvain, and with him they created a non-profit organisation, ‘Food for Thought.’

 

They had decided to provide food to the needy with dignity. With this thought they had developed a small cafe where they used to invite the poor people and feed them with dignity. “We started offering fresh, clean and nutritious food. It includes soups, salads, stews, sandwiches, fruit smoothies, nuts for free. We sat down in the hotel with respect so that those people should be able to eat with dignity,” narrated Anupama (Tipnis) Potdar. “Everything was going smoothly and corona pandemic began. All hotels and restaurants were closed. As soon as covid-19 started, the city faced many restrictions. All the people were confined to their homes. Some find it difficult to provide meals because of circumstances, such as old age or physical infirmity. In such a situation we became active again. We have a culture of helping the needy. He considered it his duty to lend a helping hand to such people and decided to help humanity as the only criterion,” elaborated Anupama Potdar. “The thought came to my mind that we should also take our share. The driver-owners of the closed hotel called for help. They also gave us the remaining food stock.

 

A hotel owner let us use his kitchen. We made some food using it and distributed it free of cost to all those in need of government shelter. Some people helped us in this work,” said Anupama. “In recognition of our work, the philanthropists gave us grants for this work. Thus the work of ‘Food for Thought’ resumed. News of our work began to spread everywhere. The flow of help began. Along with the financial help, people started coming to the aid with their own vehicles to fill the chefs, containers, (boxes) in the hotel, as well as to distribute them to the needy. Gradually we started receiving grants from all organization working in COVID. They include Relief Fund, Emergency Relief Fund, Red Cross Grant, City of Ottawa. This is how the work continues despite the extreme cold, wind, rain and snow in Canada. “The work took more than a year to complete.

 

My husband Abhijeet also helps and cooperates in this whole work from time to time. So far nearly two lakh needy people have been reached for hot fresh clean lunch boxes. This includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. About a hundred volunteers are involved in this work. This food donation is delivered to the needy at all levels such as physically weak, handicapped elderly homeless children. Approximately 1,200 lunch boxes are now delivered daily,” said Anupama. Mayor of Ottawa and the Indian Embassy there noticed the work. Representatives from High Commission of India, South African Embassy, German Embassy, also met the couple and praised the work. The information reached United Nations whose officials too visited and inspected the work the couple was doing for two days.